Many of the elastomeric materials commonly employed in the manufacture of surgeon's gloves and related articles, such as natural rubber latex, have been said to have allergenic properties. Attempts to render natural rubber gloves hypoallergenic have variously focussed on laminating or coating the interior surface of the glove with a less potentially allergenic material. These laminates and coatings have also been used to improve the wet and dry donning characteristics of the gloves. However, these laminates or coatings can easily crack, especially when the glove is flexed or stretched, and expose the wearer to the base natural rubber polymer used to construct the glove.
An alternative solution to the potential allergenicity problem associated with natural rubber gloves is to eliminate the natural rubber completely and construct the glove from a synthetic elastomer which does not contain potential allergens. However, heretofore known synthetic elastomer gloves have a different feel than natural rubber gloves and are often perceived by the wearer to be less comfortable than natural rubber gloves.
Gloves fabricated from synthetic elastomers can also be difficult to don. Wet and dry donning of gloves can be facilitated by coating the interior of the glove with powder. However, powdered medical gloves increase the risk of contamination and inflammation to the patient if powder from the surgeon's gloves is accidentally introduced into a wound or incision. Powdered gloves are also disfavored in electrical applications because powder is a potential contaminant source in demanding electronic fabrication facilities.